A Florida man is facing federal sexual assault charges after he was accused of groping a woman on a flight between Texas and New Mexico. A complaint by the FBI states that, after his arrest, the man identified as one Bruce Michael Alexander told authorities that "the president says it's OK to grab women by their private parts."

According to a complaint filed this past Monday, the incident occurred on Southwest Airlines Flight 5421 bound to Albuquerque, New Mexico from Houston, Texas. Alexander reportedly made "abusive sexual contact" with the woman by touching her breast without her permission.

The incident occurred on a Southwest Flight between Houston and Albuquerque (Source: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

The victim, whose name has been written in as just CW, stated in the complaint that she felt a hand grab the right side of her breast from behind her. She was seated in a window seat in front of Alexander and fell asleep after boarding the flight. Approximately 15-20 minutes in, she said she felt a movement on the right side of her sweater and touching of fingers on the right side around her "bra line."

She said she saw the hand and assumed it was an accident, but around 30 minutes after the first touch, she again felt fingers slowly grab the back of her arm, squeezing above her elbow. The complaint states that the hand "slowly and attentively groped her right side," again at and around her ribs and "bra line."

After feeling the second touch, the victim rose from her seat, turned around, and told Alexander that she did not know why he thought it was ok [to touch her] and that he needed to stop. She then asked a crew member to give her a seat in another section of the aircraft, following which she moved to another seat in the rear. She said that she saw "a hand that had thick fingers, with hairy and dirty fingernails," a description that fit Alexander's hand.

He was later apprehended and read his Miranda rights and claimed he did not recall groping the victim. He said he had slept through most of the flight and that he remembered ordering a coke. He also said he recalled the victim getting up from her seat and speaking to him and feigned innocence when he was put into handcuffs. But, while he was in the vehicle, he stated that the "President of the United States says it's OK to grab women by their private parts."

Alexander has been charged with one federal count of abusive sexual contact and appeared before a federal court in Albuquerque. According to the Huffington Post, he was retained in federal custody pending a preliminary and detention hearing that is scheduled for October 23. If found guilty, he faces a maximum penalty of two years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.

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MEAWW is an initialism for Media Entertainment Arts WorldWide. We are one of the world’s fastest growing
media-tech companies with hubs around the world. MEAWW brings you the best content from its global team of
reporters on a platform technologically tailored to meet the needs of the modern reader.